[Jewelry making - Article 01198] - [Orchid] How'd they DO that?

[Karen Goeller]

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    Folks, I was in a wonderful gallery in SoHo last week and saw some
    jewelry that made me scratch my head and wonder "how'd they DO
    that"?  While I certainly wouldn't want to copy the design, the
    technique is one that would solve some thorny problems I've had in
    my own designs, on occasion. 

    The pieces were done in 18kt yellow gold, and involved
    large-diameter (1/4" up to 3/4"), thin gauge jump rings, hammered
    flat.  On some of the rings were hung drilled briolette stones,
    about 8mm - 10mm length.  These were NOT sapphires or diamonds, and
    the jump rings were most definitely soldered shut.  The stones were
    hung like beads, with no separate findings. 

    So my questions aRe: 

    1.  If you were to approach this as a design problem, would you use
    some sort of "cool-jewel" heat sink on the stone to solder the jump
    rings?  If so, how far does the stone have to be from the heat
    source for the stuff to be effective (these were pretty small
    areas)?  If I'm using a Smith Silversmith torch (acet/air) do I
    stand a chance of accomplishing it, or would it be only possible
    with a Little Torch? 

    2.  Is the technique completely dependent on using gold, and if so,
    any particular karat of gold?  (I ask since with gold you can solder
    a specific area without bringing the whole piece up to heat.)  Any
    chance of accomplishing something similar in silver? (fine or
    sterling?) 

    3.  There was a range of stones used.  Some looked like Andalucite
    (which is a stone I've fallen in love with, but haven't worked with
    much), others like a beautiful light blue topaz, others peridot. 
    Are there stones you think would be best suited to try with this
    technique (sapphires and diamonds are out on the expermental
    budget)? 

    Any insights? 

Thanks,
Karen Goeller
kgoeller AT nolimitations.com
www.nolimitations.com - Handcrafted Artisan Jewelry and Artwork


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